Swine Flu a Concern for Schools
School is back in session for many teachers and students and the swine flu is still a huge concern. Recent news reports say that half of the population of the United States will become infected with the swine flu and that it will likely kill twice the number of people as the flu typically kills in any given year, with one scenario predicting up to 90,000 deaths.
What can teachers do to prevent the spread of Flu in their classrooms?
Teach proper hygiene. Teaching students to sneeze into their elbows is only part of the issue. If that student then wipes his elbow with his hand and grabs the ball at recess, those germs are still being spread. Look for creative ways to teach lessons about germs. Check out the germy potato experiment!
Keep disinfectant handy. Each afternoon when the students go home, teachers should disinfect each chair, desk, door knob and other materials that were handled by students. Have students use waterless hand-soap upon entering the classroom.
Felling ill? Stay home! While this may be increasingly difficult for a teacher, it is more important than ever for teachers not perpetuate the spread of any illness. Students need to stay home too, even if it means parents must lose a day of work or call in a babysitter.
It is true that the Swine Flu is simply another strain of the flu and many feel that the concern is overblown. Unfortunately, the flu does kill people, and with the numbers of diagnosed flu cases as high as it is already, outside of the flu season, some concern is warranted. Vaccines will become available, but not until October with the bulk of vaccines not available until November.
Related posts:
- Preventing the Spread of Swine Flu and Other Illness
- The Role of Social Media in Education
- Change in Grading Scale for P.G. County
- Social Media and Education
- The Public School Debate
the H1N1 or Swine Flu Virus is very scary at first but now it is well controlled by vaccines and prevention by avoiding going into places with incidence of swine flu.